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Chevy ramping Silverado incentives after Ram beats it in March

General Motors isn't losing the pickup war without a fight. With the Silverado narrowly falling to third place in the truck segment in March, Chevrolet has announced that it is going to continue its Truck Month pricing through the end of April. In addition to those incentives, some Chevy pickups are going to see even deeper discounts, according to Automotive News.
General Motors Sales Reporting spokesperson Jim Cain says the reason for extending the sale is simple. "It worked," he said. The Silverado's sales were up 6.8 percent for March, which is a big win for a truck with sales down 7.6 percent for the year so far. "Last month we handily beat expectations," he said. Cain attributed the success to having "a simple, straightforward message." He also claimed that the pickup was also able to see growth with lower incentives than competitors. With the weather warming and the economy improving, he thinks the Silverado has the momentum to improve further.
The Truck Month incentives knock as much as $7,541 off some Silverado models, and Chevy is planning even more incentives on top of that in April. "Okay - time to take the gloves off and go back and take back what rightfully belongs to every one of you ... Silverado truck sales," said an email sent to dealers from GM's district manager in the Northeast, received by Automotive News, announcing lower lease rates.

UPDATE: 8 Ram 1500s stolen, 2 recovered in Warren factory heist

UPDATE: Police and FCA report that the correct number of stolen Ram trucks was eight. Two of them were later recovered — a red truck that apparently ran out of gas, and a white truck that was discovered behind an abandoned building in Detroit. Neither of those trucks showed damage from breaking through the factory gate. Police are now investigating the raid as a possible inside job by current or former employees. "We do believe there was a good possibility that there was inside information given to the persons responsible for the thefts," Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer told the Detroit Free Press. "That would include possibly a former or current employee. Obviously they knew where they were going, what they were looking for, what area to cut the fence and get into the lot where vehicles were parked. This was not a random, all-of-a-sudden thought or idea. It was well-planned for probably several weeks." Previous story appears below: Thursday morning, a group of thieves broke into the grounds of Fiat-Chrysler's truck assembly plant in Warren, Mich., where the Ram 1500 is built, and stole roughly 10 brand-new trucks, according to the Detroit Free Press. The newspaper reports that the thieves drove to up a fence in a pickup truck and cut through to get on the property. They then gathered up trucks and drove right out through the main gates. With a starting price of just over $33,000 for a base Ram 1500, the thieves got away with at least $300,000 worth of trucks. The trucks have yet to be found, and it might still be a while. Warren Police Department Commissioner Bill Dwyer told Detroit Free Press that they haven't received any tips on the vehicles. "We have absolutely nothing," said Dwyer. "Why aren't they calling me? We can't do an investigation if they're not working with us." They're still waiting on FCA to give them a list of the trucks' VINs and colors, as well as an exact number instead of the current estimate of 9 to 11. It's not clear if the keys were in the trucks, but an FCA spokesperson told the Free Press, "The company will be assessing security measures at the location and implementing any necessary changes to prevent future incidents." Dwyer said that the heist "was well-planned," and that the vehicles have probably been taken to a pre-arranged location such as a warehouse. It was likely part of an order for stolen trucks, but it's not clear if a crime ring or syndicate is involved.

Ram Truck digs in with Laramie Longhorn-inspired Case backhoe

Some combinations seem natural immediately like chocolate and peanut butter, but others take a little more consideration before they begin make sense. That is exactly the situation with the new partnership between Ram and heavy equipment-maker Case to build a one-of-a-kind Ram 3500 with a matching, customized Case 580 Super N Wide Track Backhoe. The unique combo is currently on display at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014 show in Las Vegas, NV, and afterwards will go on tour for the rest of the year at Ram- and Case-sponsored events.
While it is undoubtedly odd to see a modified backhoe, it almost gets cool when you se the interior. Both vehicles the same two-tone gold and black paint scheme, and the backhoe's cab has been refinished to match the truck with shades of brown leather, Laramie badges and chrome trim. If you have to be in a backhoe, this one looks like the one to choose. Plus, this might be the first backhoe ever with chrome wheels.
The truck that the backhoe is attached to a Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4x4 with a 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel with 850 foot-pounds of torque, plus an improved transfer case and heavy-duty transmission. Like its matching heavy equipment friend, the truck is also supposed to offer a mix of luxury and working ability. Scroll down for the full press release on this very curious combo.